Rebellious Heart
by Enya-Shay
Summary: AU where Marianne becomes engaged against her will to Roland, a prince from a neighboring kingdom. Her father gets the Bog King involved to try and help push her towards Roland but…rebellion and such ensues. Sorry, I am bad at descriptions. Rated: T for probable language and mature implications
1. Chapter 1

Marianne was angry with her father. Furious. After years and years of being promised she could marry for love, he had gone and promised her to a prince from a neighboring kingdom. And she was livid.

After letting her father, and probably the entire kingdom, know how she really felt about it she had retreated to her room and locked the door. Now she dropped down onto the bed to fume. And plot.

How could he do this to her? Had she not been the perfect daughter, always cheerful and obedient? Nothing she had ever done could have warranted such cruelty.

"_But Marianne," her father had pleaded "our kingdom needs support. We grow smaller and weaker with each passing year. We need this union for the sake of our future."_

That was another reason why Marianne felt so upset. She loved her kingdom and her people dearly. She longed to see them thrive. Her father was correct though; they were getting weaker by the minute. So many turns of bad luck had hit them over the years: Bouts of illness, bad weather destroying homes and crops, bandits passing through and taking what they wished. They needed help, but Marianne had been hoping it would not come to this. She hoped it would not fall to her to save them.

"_Prince Roland is a good man," the King had told her._

_Marianne scoffed. "Oh please, I know the rumors that follow him. He is vain, selfish, and a womanizer. I do not want any part of that."_

"_Perhaps marrying you will help him settle and influence him to be better. You are such a kind, gentle girl after all."_

Marianne threw her shoe as hard as she could at the wall. It just was not fair. She did not ask to be born into royalty and have this responsibility thrust upon her. Why did it have to come to this?

There was a gentle knock at the door. "Marianne?" came the muffled voice of her sister Dawn on the other side. "Can I come in?"

"Just leave me alone, Dawn," she replied, trying hard to keep the anger out of her voice. It wasn't Dawn's fault, after all. Plus her sister was such a sensitive soul who got all teary-eyed when voices were raised. It would not do to take it out on her when she did not deserve it.

"Alright," she said, sounding a bit let down. "Let me know when you're ready to talk."

In spite of her anger, Marianne managed a small smile. Dawn knew her better than anyone in the kingdom. She respected her sister's space, and understood not to push her when she was upset. And she would open her heart to Dawn eventually, but not now. Not when she was ready to put a hole in the wall with her fist. No, now was a time for her to think. Time for her to plan what her response to this terrible news was going to be…

"You really should consider redecorating in here," sniffed Griselda as she sat down for tea with the Fairy King. She was out of her element in the fairy kingdom, being used to the dank and general crudeness of the Dark Forest dwellings. All the brightness and colors were making her ill, and the sweet tea they served at the castle was not helping things.

The king cleared his throat. "Yes well, I am sure you are wondering why I summoned you here and not your son."

Griselda gave up on the tea with a sigh and tossed the cup over her shoulder where it shattered on the ground. "Yeah, I was confused by your request. The mother of the Bog King being asked to take tea with the Fairy King? Just doesn't make sense."

He winced at the shattering of the innocent tea cup, but continued on as if nothing had happened. "My oldest daughter, Princess Marianne, is to be engaged to Prince Roland of the Green Hills."

"Congrats," said Griselda through a mouthful of biscuits. They were the only thing on the table that didn't make her gag at the taste. "Do you want me to plan the wedding? Because let me tell you, I am a phenomenal wedding planner."

"No, that's not it." The king paused and set down his tea cup. "I do have a…rather odd request to make of you."

The former queen squinted her already beady eyes at him from across the table. All of this secrecy and hesitation had her intrigued. And goodness knew she had not seen a good intrigue in many years. "What kind of request?" she asked, abandoning her occupation of consuming all the biscuits on the table in favor of giving him her full attention.

He sat up straight, took a deep breath, and began. "Your son, I take it, is a bit of a–ah–lonely person, correct?"

Griselda laughed, a sound that grated on the king's ears. "You have no idea! All he does is stay cooped up in the castle, doesn't even bother visiting other lands. And don't even get me started on his love life–"

"So you would agree he is somewhat off-putting?" the king ventured.

"Oh absolutely," said Griselda without batting an eye. "He's rough on the outside, though I'm sure deep down there's some good that just hasn't found it's way out yet. But what does this have to do with your daughter?"

Once again, the king cleared his throat. "Marianne is very upset about the betrothal. Prince Roland has a reputation that she does not agree with. This is making her agreement to the whole thing very difficult. My idea is to get her to spend some time with your son to see how much better Roland would be compared to, say, the Bog King."

Griselda stared. "So you want to show her what the worst is like so she'll appreciate what she has, is that it?"

"In a nutshell yes."

"That is the stupidest thing I ever heard. Count me in."

"So you will convince your son to have lunch with my daughter tomorrow?"

"I can try, but that boy is stubborn as anything. I guarantee nothing, but I will try. Who knows? This could lead to a very interesting turn of events."

The king finished his tea, content with this answer. He did not care about events, as long as they led to Marianne wedding Roland. He knew his plan was a bit of a stretch. However, he was confident that as soon as she spent five minutes with the Bog King, it would have her running to Roland's arms in no time.


	2. Chapter 2

Dawn was pouding on the door of her sister's room in earnest. "Marianne? Marriane hurry up! The Bog King is due here any minute now."

"Almost ready!" came the overly chipper voice of Marianne from within.

Dawn's eyes narrowed suspiciously. That tone was not right for her sister. She had been off ever since their father announced her upcoming engagement to Roland and she had scarcely left her room. Now she was sounding all cheerful? Dawn was not buying it.

"Marianne, what did you do?" her younger sister demanded. "Come on, I'm tired of you shutting me out."

There was a click, and the door opened. Marianne appeared in the doorway, all smiles. "Fine," she said in that same, unnaturally giddy voice. "No more hiding for me!"

Dawn stared at her sister. Her eyes wandered from her face down to her feet, and then back up again so she was looking her in the eye again. "Oh gods," she whispered, bringing her hands up to her mouth. "Dad is going to kill you."

The Bog King did not want to be in the Fairy Kingdom. He had much better things to be doing than spending time in the castle. Which, in his opinion, could really do with some redecorating. He trudged after his mother, still not sure how he had let her talk him into this.

"Mom, really," he said to her under his breath "you didn't have to accompany me here. I am the king, after all. I can go places on my own."

"I will be having lunch with the king while you have lunch with the princess," his mother replied. "It will make a nice change from things, don't you think?"

Bog did not think. He didn't have the time to waste on dining with some fluttery, fairy princess. The only reason he agreed to it was so his mother would stop badgering him about finding a girl. She promised that if he went to this lunch, she would put it off for a month. After listening to her pestering for the past decade or so, a month free of it was like a gift from the gods. So, he could bear one afternoon alone with the princess if it meant shutting his mother up. At least, he hoped he could.

The Fairy King greeted them as they entered his hall. Bog returned the bow stiffly, being rather indifferent to fairies in general. He thought them too energetic and excited by everything. And their tastes in things were questionable at best. But he would spend time with them if it meant getting his mother off his case.

"Thank you for being here today," said the Fairy King. "I am sure Marianne will be delighted to make your acquaintance."

"And I am sure she will be fine company," Bog returned. It was the politest thing he could think to say. Goblins weren't the best at receiving or giving positive dialogue. He was just trying to get through the day and be done with it.

The king turned to a staircase that led from the upper level of the castle down into the main hall where they stood. "Marianne!" he called up it "Come and greet our guests."

Nothing happened at first. Bog was beginning to wonder if maybe the princess would just stay in her room and refuse to meet with him. Which if she did, he would not blame her. To a fairy, he was probably not the most handsome thing in the world to look at. After a few more moments of nothing, there was suddenly the quick pattering of feet. A young fairy appeared, and rushed down the staircase towards them. It was a blonde female, dressed all in white, with pink wings and large blue eyes. She looked stressed about something, but when she saw Bog and Griselda she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh, um, hi," she greeted, giving them a quick bow. "Welcome to our home."

"Dawn," said her father sharply "what's wrong? Where's your sister?"

So that's not Marianne? Bog thought as he watched the young fairy glance anxiously from her father, to their guests, and back up the staircase. I didn't realize the king had more than one daughter.

"Dad, I-that is, Marianne, she's-oh gosh." Dawn looked like she might pass out.

The Fairy King shook his head. "We don't have time for this nonsense, our guests are waiting. Marianne, get down here at once!"

"Alright alright, I'm coming," came a voice from upstairs.

All four of them turned to watch as the princess Marianne finally made her appearance. As she approached, the king made a small noise that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a groan. Dawn brought a hand to her face, as if she could not bear to witness it. And when she got closer, Bog could see why.

Marianne's hair was short and messy. She wore a short midnight blue dress that was tattered at the bottom as though the rest of it had been torn off. She had on boots that went up to her knees and dark purple eye shadow and lipstick. Judging by the reactions of her father and sister, this was not how princesses at court were supposed to look. Bog, however, couldn't take his eyes off her.

She was fascinating to him, from her bold attire to the proud smile she wore on her face. There was something about her that demanded his attention. He wasn't quite sure why, as he had never taken an interest in fairy women before. But this girl seemed fierce, mischievous and daring. And he liked that. It made him want to know more about her.

Marianne strode over and stood next to her sister. Bog could see a slight resemblance between the two, but with the contrasting attires it was difficult to tell they were related at all. He assumed that Dawn's white dress with the high collar that covered her neck and chest was what Marianne was supposed to be wearing. Also, Dawn's hair was tame and pulled back into a bun behind her head. Marianne's looked like it had just been hacked off with a pair of scissors. Bog was surprised to admit it, but the short hair looked good on her.

"Sorry I'm late, father," Marianne apologized, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "You must be the Bog King, yes? Welcome to our humble kingdom. And to you, Lady Griselda." She bowed to them, completely ignoring the looks of horror from her family members.

"Marianne," her father said in a weak voice. Clearly, he was still stunned by her sudden change in appearance. Bog couldn't help but grin. So she's getting back at her father for something then? Good girl.

The princess turned to her father with a big, fake smile plastered on her face. "Yes, father? Would you like to discuss people making decisions that go against your wishes? Some other time, perhaps. Right now, I have a lunch date to keep."

She stepped forward and hooked her arm through Bog's. He started at the sudden touch. No one, not even his mother ever touched him. Yet here was this extraordinary fairy girl, linking arms with him as though they had known each other for years. He wasn't sure if he should be angry with her for touching him in such a way, or admire her for being so bold.

"Well then, we shall be taking our lunch in the dining room now," Marianne announced loudly. "Father, Dawn, Griselda. We shall take our leave now." With that, Marianne took off down the hall, pulling a very confused and somewhat stunned Bog along with her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ehm, Princess?" Bog managed after Marianne had released him and gone ahead into the dining room. There was a table all set up for lunch, with dishes and cutlery that he found to be pretty repulsive. However, at the moment he was more concerned with the strange girl he had just met, who had practically dragged him the length of the castle to get to their destination.

She paused before the table. He heard her give a hollow laugh and watched as she ran her fingers through her short hair. "I can't believe I went and did it," she was saying to herself. "I must have finally gone off the deep end."

Bog was beginning to feel irked for being left out of the loop. He had only come here to appease his mother, and now he found himself in the middle of something he didn't quite understand. Added to the mix was the fiery princess, who was furthering his confusion due to his strong but reluctant attraction to her. He mentally slapped himself in the face. Stop that now, his thoughts chided. You've only known her for about five minutes. There is no way she can be having this much of an effect on you.

Yet she still did. He was drawn to her, like a moth to a flame. Even though he knew it was probably a bad idea to allow himself to feel that way, it didn't stop his mind from being occupied mainly by thoughts of her. And maybe it wasn't her after all. Perhaps he was just hungry, or coming down with the flu. Yes, that was probably it.

Marianne turned to him. "I am so sorry," she said quickly, giving him a low bow. "I'm sorry to have literally pulled you into all of this."

Bog blinked. He had not been expecting that. "I-eh-it is alright," he replied, flustered. Her suddenly being sincere and apologetic threw him off. It was a big change from the rebellious young woman she appeared to be just moments ago. To be honest, sincerity made her...cute. And he kind of liked it.

"So," she went on "you're the almighty Bog King I've been hearing about."

Almighty? Bog wasn't sure about that. Almighty kings did not have their burdensome mothers hanging over their heads night and day. "Well, I don't know about almight but yes, I am the Bog King."

She grinned. "Not almighty then? I was expecting much different from you."

He watched her take a seat at the table. She picked up a knife and began to twirl it absently in her long, delicate-looking fingers. "What were you expecting?" he asked, taking a seat opposite her at the table. He did not want to feel awkward standing before her while she sat.

"More, I guess," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders and continuing to twirl the knife.

Bog felt an indignant spark flare up inside of him. "What do you mean, more?" he demanded. How did she do it? How could she go from being intriguing, to adorable, to irritating all in the course of ten minutes? It was driving him mad.

Her big brown eyes flickered up to him and she gave him a teasing smile. "Scarier," she explained "and more stubborn."

"I am plenty scary, thank you very much," growled Bog. "And the only reason I am here is because of my-because I was asked to be. I honor my promises, and that is how a good monarch should be."

Marianne yawned. "Well, you don't scare me. And as for honoring promises, well...that already makes you a better king than my own father." She set the knife down and put her hands into her lap. Her expression had turned from light-hearted to dour.

There she goes again, thought Bog. Changing yet again. Is this how all females are? I always thought they were just one thing or another. It looks like this one is everything all at once. Perhaps I do not understand females as well as I thought I did.

"Why is that?" he asked her. He hoped to get more out of her about what exactly was going on.

She looked up at him, her expression hesitant and demure. "I don't want to burden you with my troubles."

He just rolled his eyes. "Well I would like to know what's going on, and why you are behaving in such a manner. I don't know much about fairies, but I don't think this is how you are supposed to act. Or dress, for that matter," he added, giving a nod to her attire.

Marianne sighed. "Okay, if you're sure. All my life, my father promised me that I would always get to marry for love. He promised I would never have an arranged marriage like most princesses do. But just yesterday, he told me I am to wed Prince Roland of the Green Hills to secure a union with their kingdom."

Bog made a face. He had had dealings with Roland and his father in the past. The prince was, in his opinion, a narcissistic bastard. However, he did not convey this thought to Marianne. "Oh, I see," was all he said in reply. If Marianne was aware of the prince's reputation, it was no wonder she was upset.

"Yes," Marianne continued "I was very upset by it. It's just-it's not fair. It's not fair to be promised one thing only to have another happen. And maybe I am taking it too far but-I can't stand it. So, and I know it's childish, but I cut my hair and changed my look to get back at dad for it. I knew it would embarrass him most in front of the court."

Bog admired her for acting out in such a way against something she felt was wrong. It showed him how strong she was as an individual. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt for the princess. He was used to not caring about anyone except for a precious few closest to him. However, for some reason this girl had broken through the walls he had worked hard on building and got hold of his heart. So powerful was her effect on him that he found himself actually reaching out to take her hand in comfort. He realized what he was doing at the last minute and instead grabbed an apple that was in a basket on the table. Not really knowing what else to do, he set it quickly on the plate.

Marianne seemed to understand what he had meant to do, for she smiled suddenly. "Thank you," she said to him.

"What for?"

"For listening to me."

Their eyes met, and for the first time neither bothered to look away. Bog took the opportunity to appreciate her face. Even though goblins were generally not attracted to fairies, he found her features to be quite appealing. Her eyes were a beautiful brown that reminded him of the forest trees in the summer sunlight. Even though her make up was dark, it suited her and did not take away from her loveliness. Bog felt a dreamy smile overtake his lips. He could look at her all day and not get bored.

Marianne seemed to be feeling the same way about looking at him. He was different than all those boring, generic fairy men that she saw on a regular basis. Though his features were much more pronounced than anyone she had met, she liked the way he looked. There was a certain handsomeness to him that she saw, and it drew her to him. And his eyes...his eyes were such a gentle and beautiful blue that it made her heart melt a little when she looked into them. To her, he was something new, something wonderful, something magical.

"So how long have you been king?" Marianne asked after a while to break the silence between them.

"Well, ehm, let's see now," he said quickly, trying to get his mind off her long enough to answer the question. "I'd say close to fifteen years now."

"Wow really? That's quite a while."

"Yes it is. I became king after my father passed away."

Marianne lowered her gaze. "I am sorry to hear that."

"Don't be," said Bog "he was a good king, and a good father. I miss him, but he is memory now. And memory will never fade."

"So..." Marianne trailed off, not sure where to take the conversation next. What could she talk about? She had already opened her heart to him. Did she dare try and get him to do the same. "Uhhhh what are your hobbies?"

"Hobbies?" Bog repeated in confusion.

"Yes-ah-what do you like to do in your free time?"

Bog had to think on that one. He wondered which ones he could say without repulsing her. Killing frogs? No, fairies seemed to have a fondness for living creatures. Flying through the thorns or diving off the highest trees? She may think him too reckless.

"I like-I like to practice swordplay," he said finally.

Marianne perked up at this. "Oh, you too? I've taken it up recently myself."

"Really? That's not something I'd picture a princess doing."

Her eye lids lowered and her expression became quite shrewd. "You think so?" She grabbed the knife and spun it quickly in her fingers before holding it out at him. "Care to find out just how good I am?"

He smirked at her. "That's a knife, princess, not a sword."

Marianne did not seem to care. "Is that you backing out from my challenge?"

In response to her question, Bog picked up his own knife and tossed it into the air. It spun several times before he caught it. He then stood and held the knife out before him. "I never back down from a challenge. Let's see what you've got, tough girl."

Marianne obliged. She got up from the table and charged at him, knife in hand. He easily blocked her then went after her with his knife. She was swift, and dodged his blow with a graceful twirl before coming right back at him. It was evident from her movements that she had studied swordplay as well as knife combat. He wondered what else princesses studied that he was unaware of.

"You fight well," he complimented as their fight moved them about the dining room "I'm impressed."

"You do too," she returned, as she went in for another blow only to have it blocked with his knife. "Have you studied any other combat?"

"Just hand-to-hand. A king needs to learn how to protect himself, after all."

"As does a princess," Marianne reminded him.

Bog smiled, surprised at how many of those she was getting out of him today. He hardly ever smiled, yet somehow she was drawing them out of him left and right with what she said and did. He was entranced by her, and it was becoming stronger by the minute. She was beautiful, clever, and self-sufficient. In fact, as time went by he found there was almost nothing about her that he did not like. A warmth was building up in him that had nothing to do with their exercise and everything to do with her.

At long last, Marianne found an opening and went for it, pulling herself back at the last minute so that the knife did not pierce the king's exposed neck. However, her eagerness to take advantage of the opening left her open as well. Therefore as she leaned against him with her knife at his throat, he in turn had his knife at her own throat.

"Well played," he admired as they stood there, panting and looking into their opponent's eyes once more.

"You too," she returned.

Bog suddenly became hyper-aware of how close she was. Her face was only inches away from his own, and her body was actually pressing up against his. He could feel her other arm on his chest from when she had held it up to block him. His free hand had found its way to the back of her neck when he had gone in to strike, since that was how he had been taught to do it. And in that moment of closeness, staring at each other, and the culmination of their spar, something happened between the two. Something that turned the tables entirely on their relationship.

There were two loud clangs as both knives fell to the floor. In just the blink of an eye, their lips were locked together in a sudden yet passionate kiss. To the passerby, the kiss would have appeared to come out of nowhere, but that was not the case. The feeling had been building up, all through their talking and fighting. The close proximity had been the straw that finally broke the camel's back and set their feelings free. And even if neither of them quite understood what exactly was going on, they both knew in their hearts that it was what they wanted.

Bog felt himself pushing Marianne back to the table without breaking contact with her lips. Once there, he released himself from her briefly to push everything, the food, dishes, cutlery, and even the tablecloth off of it and onto the floor. Much of it shattered, but in that moment neither of them cared. Marianne was too occupied with sinking her teeth into Bog's neck while he moaned and lifted her onto the now clear table.

And he took a brief moment to look down at her, laying there with her legs straddling him, that bold, rebellious fire burning once again in her eyes.

"What?" she asked with a tempting smirk. "Don't think you can handle it?"

Bog ran his hands down her body, from her chest to her exposed thighs. "Are you challenging me, tough girl?"

"Perhaps."

He grinned and leaned down so that his lips were right next to her ear. "Well as I told you before," he growled softly to her "I never back down from a challenge."


	4. Chapter 4

Bog managed to pry his claws out of the table at long last and pull himself off of Marianne. He staggered backwards and grasped onto one of the dining room chairs for support. While he allowed his heart rate to return to normal, he took the opportunity to survey the area for damage. Yes, those atrocious plates were goners for sure, and the tablecloth was stained all over with dark purple wine. The table itself was also ruined, as there were ten long gashes from where his claws had dug into them. He supposed he should feel bad for the damage, but he was having a difficult time doing so.

Marianne did not seem bothered in the least by any of it. He watched as she sat up on the table and nonchalantly pulled her dress back down over her legs. She acted as though hooking up with kings on the dining room table was something she did all the time. Which he fervently hoped she didn't, but he wasn't going to judge if she did.

"Well that was unexpected," she said finally after smoothing her hair out with those delicate fingers of hers.

"Yes," he agreed, suddenly finding it difficult to meet her gaze. After all, how could he come back from something like that?

Marianne tilted her head at him. "Do you regret it?" she asked, and he was surprised at how tentative she sounded. Only minutes ago she was the exact opposite.

"No," he replied, and meant it. "I've-ah-I've never done that before. It was-well, it was needed."

"Me too," she said. "That was my first time with anyone. I can see why the other girls are always talking about it."

Bog was surprised to hear this. _So that was her first time then. With me. Oh gods, I don't deserve that_. "Princess, I-"

She stopped him with her fingers on his lips. "Please, don't try to tell me it was foolish. I'm not ashamed of what we just did." She made a face. "And please don't call me 'princess'. I mean, I think we're beyond that at this point."

He gently removed her hand from his lips, but did not release it immediately. "But your first time...why with someone as hideous as me?"

"You're not hideous," she said firmly "I find you plenty attractive. And I don't know...something just came over me, and I felt it was right." She lowered her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry, I just realized the situation I've put you in."

Bog stared at her with nothing but wonder and admiration. This girl...this passionate, ever-changing girl had him captivated. She had him absolutely hooked, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not yet. Allowing his heart to swell with the happiness he was feeling upon just looking at her, he brought a hand to her face and ran his thumb across her cheek. She was drawing affection out of a usually unaffectionate being...how did she do it?

She smiled at the touch and leaned into it. "I like this," she sighed, sounding as happy as he felt. "Being with you, that is. It just-it does something to me. Something I've never felt before."

"Me too," he said, sliding his fingers into her hair next. "So...what happens now?"

Marianne closed her eyes and gave her head a gentle shake. "I don't really know. Father won't let me out of the engagement, I know he won't."

Bog felt anger replace the happiness that had slowly been filling him. He did not want Roland having a claim on Marianne. He did not want him going anywhere near her_. She is mine_, he thought, suppressing a primal growl at the thought of another man near the woman he had just made love to. Then suddenly his mind began to clear. _No, she is not mine. How could you think such a thing? This girl couldn't possibly belong to anyone. Shame on you._

The fairy studied his face while these thoughts went through his head. "My heart is my own," she said, as if guessing what he was thinking "and there is no way I am going to let Roland be a part of it. Not from the things I have heard about him."

"No," said Bog, putting both his arms around her and drawing her close to him "that won't happen. I could-ah-speak with your father. Perhaps discuss some other options with him."

Marianne's heart leapt a little, and she looked up at him, her eyes shining. "You would do that?"

"For you," said Bog. And then he grinned. "And not because of what we just did on your dining room table. No, a king needs to keep his promises, especially to his own. So, I will speak with him and help him honor that promise."

The princess smiled and leaned her head against his chest. There was hope after all, just when she was beginning to think there wasn't any. She was so full of affection and gratitude for the king, in spite of not knowing him very long or knowing that much about him. But they had time. Perhaps over the next few weeks they could have more meetings, and not necessarily just for love-making. No, she wanted to learn more about him, what he enjoyed, what his hopes and dreams and fears were. She wanted to be submerged in his world, as well as allowing him into her own. It was a funny thing, how drawn to him she was, but if it was something that was making her happy then she was not about to question it or let it go.

"I should go," Bog murmured after a while of holding her in his arms. "We have already taken quite a bit of time with our-our lunch." He tried not to smirk as he looked on at the mess they had created. After all, perhaps Marianne would care about it after all now that the afterglow of their passion had faded.

She looked at it too, and began to laugh. "It's alright, I can fix it. Although I've always hated that dining set, ever since I was little." Bog watched as she held her hands out before her and a soft, purple glow appeared in them. Immediately, everything began to right itself: The claw marks in the table disappeared, the dishes repaired themselves and went back to their spots on the table, the tablecloth was cleaned, and all the food returned to its dishes. When it was finished, she gave her work a thoughtful look. "Well...before you go perhaps we could actually eat lunch? I'm starving after all that-uh-knife fighting."

They shared a knowing look before bursting into laughter. "I suppose I could stay for a little longer," said Bog when their laughter had subsided. "I am rather famished as well."

So, they had their lunch, carrying on a normal conversation like nothing had happened between the two. That was how Griselda and the Fairy King found them when they returned from their own lunch. The king was surprised and disappointed to see that nothing negative seemed to have occurred.

"You two have certainly taken your sweet time eating," Griselda noted, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow at her son.

Bog, ever good at masking his emotions, shrugged. "The princess gave me a tour of the gardens before we ate."

Griselda continued to look suspicious, but did not say another word. After all, she had made a promise to her son not to pester him for a whole month. However, she would be sure to bring up the bite mark on Marianne's neck when her time restriction was up.


	5. Chapter 5

Marianne was sitting on her window sill, leaning her back against the frame while she gazed out at the Dark Forest in the distance. It had been nearly a week since her encounter with the Bog King, and she could not get him out of her head. Even her father's berating after their guests left and her sister's chiding could not bring her down from the high he had given her. She had gone and done something that was risky, crazy, and most importantly, her own decision. Marianne liked having that sense of freedom, of control over her own life. At least, until the engagement was solidified.

They were due in the Green Hills kingdom the following day. Here, Marianne would meet her future husband and the kings would discuss the kingdom mergers as well as nuptial planning. Marianne was not looking forward to it. All she wanted to do was be with Bog again. She had been hoping he would return and visit, but so far she had heard nothing from the Dark Forest king. And it was driving her crazy.

"Excited for tomorrow?" Marianne turned her head and saw Dawn entering the room, decked out in a green summer dress with flowers in her hair. She envied her sister's carefree nature. If only life were that simple for the kingdom's successor.

"Not particularly," she replied as Dawn took a seat opposite her on the window. "Are you?"

"Well of course," said Dawn brightly. "I hear the Green Hills kingdom is gorgeous. And the boys there are just as pretty."

Marianne rolled her eyes. "Typical. When are you going to get your head out of the clouds and actually choose someone?"

Dawn shrugged happily. "Oh I don't know. Probably never, just to make you mad."

The older sister returned her gaze to the Dark Forest. She couldn't help but think that maybe she was being hypocritical. After all, her mind was also stuck on boys at the moment. One particular boy, who happened to be the king of their neighboring land. She couldn't help but smile when she remembered that he was a king. It inflated her ego just a little bit that she had seduced one. After all, how many princesses could say that they had slept with a king?

"Are you okay?" Dawn asked. "You've been acting strangely. And not just the whole thing with Roland, because I know you're upset about that already. But after that day when you had lunch with the Bog King, you've seemed very out of it."

"Have I?" Marianne returned.

Dawn nodded. Then she narrowed her eyes. "He didn't do anything weird to you, did he? Because if he did, you have to tell dad. Just because he's a king does not give him the right to do whatever he wants."

"No, it's not like that," said Marianne quickly. "We had a good time, he and I. We-ah-found we have a lot in common." She felt her cheeks heating up, and fervently hoped Dawn would not notice.

Her younger sister did not appear to see anything wrong, but her suspicious look did not go away. "Really? I thought he was kind of off-putting."

Marianne shrugged. "I don't know, I found him to be pretty interesting. Did you know he became king when he was a teenager?"

"Wow really? I can't imagine ruling a kingdom that young."

"I don't want to imagine you ruling a kingdom that young."

"Hey now, don't be mean. I'm gonna go start packing for the trip tomorrow, so if you need me I'll be in my room." Dawn rose from her spot on the window sill and made her way back towards the door. She paused in the doorway and turned to look back at Marianne. "I know there's a lot going on with you that you're not telling me, and that's okay. Just know that when you're ready to talk about it, I'm ready to listen." And with that, she closed the door behind her and was gone.

Her words were heavy on Marianne. She wanted so badly to tell Dawn about what had happened between her and the Bog King. But she couldn't bring herself to. It wasn't embarrassment or anything, she just felt that if Dawn knew then she would try to talk her out of it. She would say that she could do much better than him, or that he wasn't a good choice for her. And somehow, having a secret to keep from everyone including her sister was exciting. She wanted it to stay between just the two of them.

"Damn him," she said aloud, climbing to her feet. She had to see him again, in spite of all the risks. Otherwise, it was going to drive her mad. So she took a deep breath then jumped out the window. Her wings opened and she soared across the meadow, towards the Dark Forest. Hopefully the king didn't mind an unexpected visitor...

Bog was in the council room, going over plans for border protection with his most trusted guards. Their eastern borders had to be reinforced, due to a recent slew of bandits coming through the area. While there was little for them to steal in the Dark Forest, Bog did not want them in his territory. Since there were more than enough guards on the northern part, he planned on moving the excess over to the east to help chase off the bandits.

However, he was finding it difficult to concentrate on planning. Actually, it had been difficult to concentrate on anything all week. He could not get Princess Marianne off his mind. No matter how hard he tried to think of other things, she would always crop back up. So great were his feelings for her that he had even started to see her in his dreams. Time after time, he told himself that he should not dwell on her. That there was no way a beast like him could possibly have a future with such a beauty like her. But she remained on his mind, and it was slowly driving him mad.

He had yet to take council with her father like he promised Marianne he would. Things had been busy for him and he had not found the time to go. He really wanted to see her again when he visited the castle, but he was also eager to try and break off the engagement if he could. He had not thought of any alternatives yet to solving the problem though. He figured that something would come to mind eventually.

"You're certainly very distracted lately," came Griselda's voice from the doorway. He had only vaguely been aware of his guards leaving, meaning he had been standing alone in the room with his hands pressed into the table for quite some time. He wondered how long his mother had been standing there, and hoped it wasn't long.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, rolling up the map on the table and putting it back onto the shelf. "Don't you have a lunch to attend with your friends?"

"Eh, Lakeesha decided to eat the table again, so we had to cancel. Besides, I never got the chance to ask you what you thought of the Princess Marianne last week."

Bog winced. "Mother, please. Your month of staying out of my love life hasn't expired yet."

Griselda gave him a sly grin. "Who said anything about love? I only asked what you thought of her."

He felt his face heat up. _Damn it_, he thought. "I always assume that's what your hinting at whenever you mention the women I've met," he lied quickly.

"Uh-huh," said Griselda, still not convinced. "You know, her father and I had a nice long chat about her at lunch. He told me all about how excited he is for her to marry Prince Roland and merge their kingdoms."

Bog had to suppress an angry snarl at this. Just the thought of Roland having anything to do with Marianne made his blood boil. The prince, in his opinion, was completely and undeserving of the beautiful, strong-minded princess. _But neither are you_, he reminded himself. _I don't think anyone is_.

"I see," Bog replied, trying to sound uninterested.

"He also said they'll be visiting the Green Hills tomorrow," Griselda continued. Her son's feigned indifference was not fooling her. Not for an instant. "Marianne and Roland are going to get acquainted during their visit. Who knows? They might hit it off quite well, and then she won't have to be so upset about their arranged marriage."

Bog turned away from his mother and walked as calmly as he could towards out onto the balcony. He wasn't sure if he could hide how bothered he was by her words, so retreat was his safest option. "She's a good girl," he replied as casually as was possible for him. "I wish her nothing but the best."

"I'm sure you do," said Griselda. He could hear the implications in her voice, but knew that she would stick to her word and not push the romance issue. Goblins might not value much, but their word was as precious as gold to them. Gods help him though when her time limit was up. "Well, I'm off to go see about getting us a new table in the dining room. And if you want to wish Princess Marianne well, you had better do it soon. They're leaving tomorrow at high noon for the Green Hills."

He let her leave, and as soon as her footsteps down the hall faded he let out his suppressed cry of anger. His hands gripped the railing of the balcony tightly as he tried to calm himself. Why did she do this to him? More importantly, why did he let her do this to him? He should have said no. As soon as he felt anything for her, he should have just left the kingdom, no matter how rude it would have been. That way, there would have been no lunch, no talking, no sparring, no-

Bog shook his head, as the very vivid memories of what happened between them filled his thoughts. How could he have let such events take place? He was a king. He was supposed to be all about making good decisions. But he had given in and allowed himself to be completely overwhelmed by his primal needs. And now, he had possibly ruined her chances of being happily married off to someone else. While he was fine with that, it wasn't fair to assume that she was too...

He looked up at the sky. Well, what had happened...there was no changing it now. _Like father always said_, he thought_ 'Don't dwell on your mistakes and let them destroy you. Learn from them and let them make you stronger.' _Yes, he had to stop bringing himself down about it. Perhaps if he just distanced himself, avoided the fairy kingdom for a while, the feelings would go away.

Just as he was about to resign himself to that notion, something flying through the trees caught his eye. Instinctively, he retreated into the council room to grab his staff before returning back to the balcony. Usually creatures flying into his realm were not there on friendly terms. He watched as the flying creature drew closer to him, and then felt his heart rate speed up a few notches when he realized what it was. Or rather, _who_ it was.

"Aw hell," he muttered as Princess Marianne alighted onto the balcony before him.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that any way to greet a lady?" she asked, folding her wings down behind her and her arms across her chest.

Seeing her again erased any sort of hope Bog had of making himself forget about her. She was mysterious the other day in dark blue, but today she was radiant in white. Her hair, while a little more tame than when he last saw her, was still pretty wild and donned with a crown of flowers. The make up she wore was still dark, but it suited her. It was a lovely contrast to the otherwise bright colors she had on.

"Princess," he pleased, grabbing her by the shoulders and steering her into the council room so the guards below would not see. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you again," she replied, taking a seat on the table. "I-I can't get you off my mind."

Bog said nothing. He pretended to be interested in searching through his maps on the shelf. While he shifted the parchment around, he tried to think of ways to still salvage the situation. To get her to leave, and save them both from the pain and heartbreak that was bound to come from any relationship they tried to have.

"It's been a week and I've heard nothing from you," she went on, moving closer to him. "So what's the deal? Are you the kind of guy that fucks a girl and then just leaves her forever?"

Bog stiffened at the word. He had not thought of it that way. The strong language she used made him feel guilty for it. But he was the Bog King, and not yet ready to let the princess reduce him to a feeble little imp. So, he turned to face her finally. Whatever happened next, he would deal with it.

"Look here, Princess," he said, trying to maintain his usual off-putting demeanor. "You are promised to another man. You are young, and have a potentially bright future ahead of you. With me...you wouldn't be able to have that with me. That's why, before anything else happens, we should just...just stop this."

Marianne was silent as she let his words wash over her. Bog took advantage of the silence to continue speaking his mind on the matter. "You're a beautiful, wonderful girl and I don't want to tarnish what you have. The more I think about it, the more certain I become. I have-ah-come to care about you. Therefore we should-we should not let our physical feelings prevent us from-you know-" He was stumbling over his words, trying to string them together into coherence. Just what was he trying to say to her anyway? That he wanted her to leave? His common sense said yes, but every other part of him was saying no. _But it's for the best_, he told himself firmly. _It's for the best..._

"Marianne, what I'm trying to say is that-" He stopped and took a deep breath. _Damn it all, _he thought. _Damn it all to hell_. "That I can't stop thinking about you and want to be with you for every second of every day."

She looked up at him, her expression puzzled. "Wait...weren't you just breaking things off with me a second ago?"

He sighed. Moving closer to her, he tenderly wrapped his arms around her. She sank into the embrace, placing her head onto his chest. Bog cupped the back of her head and gently stroked her hair. "Yes," he replied "I had every intention of doing that. But the effect you have on me...I'm tired of fighting it. So this is me, giving in against my better judgement."

She pulled away from him. "Look, if you don't want this and think it's a bad idea, I don't want to force it on you."

Bog nodded. "I know you don't. But I do want it, even if it is a bad idea. Before we start anything though...are you sure? Are you sure I'm the one you want to start something like this with?"

He watched as Marianne studied him. After a few moments, she reached up and pressed her palm to the side of his face. He felt himself melt at her touch, especially when her fingers slowly traced along his jaw line. Then she smiled at him and wrapped her own arms around him. "Yes, I'm sure. I want to try this, no matter where it may lead. So what do you say?"

Bog returned the smile then leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She reciprocated, and pulled him closer to herself. Her lips were much softer and sweeter than he remembered, and he hungrily deepened the kiss. This time, he would commit ever little detail of her to memory so he would not forget even a second.

When they pulled apart finally, he touched his forehead to hers and gave her a mischievous grin. "I say that my bedroom is just down the hall if you'd like to-ah-continue our conversation there."


	6. Chapter 6

Happiness and contentment. That was what Marianne felt laying next to Bog in bed. It was late in the afternoon, and they had finally taken a break from their passionate activities to rest. Bog had his head propped up on his elbow and looked as content as Marianne felt as he traced his fingers up and down her naked body. She had been a little shy at first when he had stripped her of her dress, but that had quickly passed. Now she felt perfectly comfortable being nude before him. And, at the moment, she was too exhausted to care.

"Do you still have reservations about being with me?" she mumbled to him, her eyelids fluttering as his claws brushed a sensitive spot on her back.

He smiled and shook his head. "I think you took them all out of me," he replied. He leaned over and planted the most gentle of kisses to her temple. She smiled at the touch and snuggled closer to him as he put his arm around her. It was amazing how Bog could be so gentle when his appearance seemed to suggest otherwise. But he was so loving, so tender with her, even during their love-making. As opposed to the time on the table, he had been slower this time. He checked to make sure she was in no pain or discomfort before giving in entirely to his lust. And she liked that about him; that he put her first.

"I wish I could stay," she sighed as she traced circles with her fingers on his chest. "I wish I didn't have to go to the Green Hills tomorrow." The thought of having to meet her husband-to-be quickly deflated her happiness. Despite her father's assurances that Roland was a good man, she did not want him. All she wanted was the Bog King, but she knew her father would never concede to that. After all, he was strongly prejudiced against the Dark Forest and the goblins. If he knew that his daughter was having an affair with their king...well, he might never recover from that blow. And even though she was still mad at him for forcing her to be with Roland, Marianne felt guilty for going behind his back about it. He was still her father, after all.

"I wish you could too," Bog murmured back. He had returned to dragging his claws gently up and down her back, making her arch and give a small whimper whenever he hit that sensitive spot. "But until we figure this out, you must carry out your father's wishes."

Marianne pulled herself out of his embrace to sit up in bed. "So what are we going to do then? Just meet in secret all the time until my dad finds out and has me locked away?"

Bog sat up too and put a hand on the side of her face. "We'll think of some way to make this work, don't worry."

"I'm trying not to," she replied. She looked timidly into his blue eyes and added "Do you think there's a way for us to be together?"

"I believe we'll find one." He gave her a reassuring smile then leaned in to press his lips to hers. She returned the kiss then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him back down on top of her.

As his kisses trailed down her neck once again, Marianne held him tight and looked up at the ceiling, thinking about the future. It was early in their relationship, but her feelings for him were definitely very strong already. Marriage to Bog was still too early to consider, but she liked what they had so far. A budding romance that was passionate, sensual, and most importantly based on mutual trust and affection. They worked together so well on so many levels. Wasn't that something that implied a strong connection? Marianne thought so. Even though it was still early, and there were still definite issues to be dealt with, for now she was sure of one thing: She never wanted it to stop.

It was another couple hours before Marianne finally dressed and said her good-byes to Bog. Both were reluctant to be parted, but they understood the necessity. After all, rumors would quickly spread if it was discovered the fairy princess was sneaking off to the Dark Forest and not returning for hours on end. So, with one brief but strong embrace, and one last kiss, Marianne flew out his window and returned home.

Bog watched her go with a heavy heart. Now he had to deal with dreading what would happen when Marianne and Roland met. Even though what he and Marianne had was definitely strong, he still felt the weight of his own insecurities bringing him back down from the high she had given him. What if Marianne ended up liking Roland more? What if she found him more attractive and suitable than him? And what if Roland got a little too close to her during their time together? He couldn't help but let out an angry growl at the thought. Though his mind was a gentleman on the matter, his instincts were much less so. According to them, he had marked Marianne as his own. By mating with her, he had staked his claim on her. And the thought of any other males going near her nearly drove him into a frenzy. Bog was a strong individual, but his primal instincts were stronger. And now, they had been awoken and were ready for a fight.

"Deep breaths," he told himself as he tore away from the window and made his way back over to his bed. "She cares for you, not Roland. And he will be hard pressed to win her over because of it." He thought back to when he first met Marianne. She was fiery, feisty, and strong-minded. There was so much more to her that there was no way she would swoon over Roland as Bog had heard most women did. She was too unique, too wonderful to give in to such a person.

That thought reassured Bog as he lay back down on the bed. The afternoon of love-making had drained him, and he felt that a nap was in order before he went on his nightly patrol of the forest borders. So, with very vivid and pleasant thoughts of Marianne on his mind, he closed his eyes and fell quickly asleep.

Marianne had more difficulty falling asleep that night. Her father had been irritated with her upon her return, demanding where she had been and why she was not packed yet. Dawn did not help, with her constant probing for answers as Marianne tried to get her things packed for the journey. At dinner, her father went on and on about how advantageous her marriage would be for the kingdom. Dawn tried to help then at least, by making silly and dramatic faces at her from across the table while their father spoke. It got Marianne smiling and stifling giggles when Dawn's face immediately went back to angelic every time their father looked at her to see what Marianne was laughing at.

With everything packed and nothing much else to do, Marianne had decided to go to sleep early. After all, she had had a tiring day, and her family ended up making it worse. She tried to focus on thoughts of Bog, of their time together that afternoon. It had been so amazing, so magical that she knew she would never forget it. She rolled over and felt her heart ache at the big, empty space beside her in bed. If only Bog were there to fill it...

"Marianne?"

She sat up quickly in bed, eyes darting around the room. The voice had been barely more than a whisper, but she recognized it instantly. She would have to be insane not to. But was she going insane, or did she actually hear it?

"Over here, at the window."

Marianne felt like her heart was going to fly out of her chest. Standing there in her window was Bog. She dug her fingernails into her palms, a trick she did whenever she thought she might be dreaming something. But no, she felt it, and she was definitely awake. That meant Bog really was there, at her window. Excited, she scrambled out of bed and rushed to him.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, stepping back as he hopped down into the room.

"I just got done patrolling the borders and thought I'd stop by to see you," he explained, taking her into his arms and kissing the top of her head.

She grinned. "I thought you had enough of me this afternoon."

"I did. Trust me, I think you drained me of everything for the next couple days. I came by to just...just be with you."

Marianne allowed him to lead her back over to the bed where they both laid down. He curled his body around hers and entwined their fingers together. His nose brushed her neck as he pressed his lips into her shoulder. Him being there had skyrocketed her mood. No longer did she feel lonely and anxious for tomorrow. Now she was once again happy and content.

"How long are you going to stay?" she asked.

"Until you fall asleep. Then I'm going to return home so I can help the guards do our nightly checks of the forest and its inhabitants."

"Don't you need sleep?"

"I got a few hours after you left. Goblins are mostly nocturnal, and can run on very little sleep."

"Interesting." Marianne did not know that, and she was pleased to be learning more about Bog and his daily life. "Well thank you for thinking of me during your nightly ventures."

"Always."

They lay there for quite some time, with Bog giving her neck the occasional kiss and Marianne slowly losing her battle to stay conscious.

"Bog?" she asked sleepily after a long time of silence.

"Hmm?"

Her eyes were closed, and she was on the brink of sleep as she mumbled "Do you love me?"

Bog was taken aback at the question. Love? He hadn't thought about it before. He himself had never been in love before, and did not know what it felt like or what qualified something as love. How could he possibly answer?

"I-I don't know," he answered. "I've never been in love before."

"That's fine," she replied, still barely conscious. "I was just wondering. Because I think I'm falling in love with you."

Bog's breath caught in his throat when she said this. He could not believe it, though he wanted to with all his heart. "R-really? With me?" he asked in astonishment.

There was no reply. He carefully looked over and saw that Marianne's eyes were closed and her breathing was steady. She had fallen asleep. Bog did not leave immediately. He took the time to appreciate her face while she slept. Beautiful. She was so beautiful. And she said she was falling for him. What did he ever do to earn that? He certainly didn't deserve it. But it did give him much to think about over the next few days while she was gone.

As slowly and quietly as he could, he got out of bed and made his way back towards the window. When he reached it, he looked back at Marianne, sleeping in bed. Her question had stuck with him: _Do you love me? _If love was wanting to always be with her, wanting to know and understand her, and above all wanting her to be happy then yes...he was head over heels. However, his thoughts on love were still unclear, so until then he would just have to wait and keep thinking it over.

"I think I love you too, Marianne," he whispered into the dark. "But I will know for sure before I say it to you."


End file.
